LazyTown Underground
by KrysSaiyan
Summary: Robbie should learn not to eat junk before bed, it gives him weird dreams. Like wandering through a labyrinth in search of a child stealing Sportacus who dresses like a goblin king. A LazyTown Labyrinth crossover with a twist.
1. Magic Dance

**Chapter 1: Magic Dance**

It was safe to say that Robbie Rotten had lost his mind.

He had been watching movies. Comfy and safe and perfectly happy, snuggled in his favorite chair with a bowl of popcorn. Everything had been going great. But then… then he fell asleep.

He _had_ to be asleep, there was no other explanation. He refused to believe for an instant that he had otherwise _magically_ found himself standing in front of an ominous looking gate set in stone wall.

"What _is _this insane place?" he asked the air.

"A labyrinth," a snide voice replied. He whirled around and there, looking shorter than usual, was a rather oddly dressed boy. The boy was vaguely familiar.

"Stinky?"

"It's _Stingy_!" he protested, stomping one foot on the ground in irritation. The various trinkets tied to his person jangled when he moved.

"Whatever," Robbie muttered. "What am I doing here?"

"I expect you're trying to save someone by running the labyrinth," Stingy replied, and set to counting and recounting his possessions. Robbie sneered.

"Who could _I_ possibly want to save?" he scoffed. Stingy glanced up from the baubles attached to his person.

"I don't know," Stingy replied. "But you're here for a reason, aren't you? You gets in there," He gestured to the gate, and it opened. Robbie gave him one last glare before striding confidently in and picking one direction at random. It didn't matter where he went. He didn't want to find anyone anyway. Maybe he could find a good place to nap instead.

Of course, the landscape had other ideas for him.

He turned a corner, and was startled to find a set of doors. Two doors, two guards blocking his way. This was no place to nap.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, there's someone here, I have to go!" one guard said rapidly, speaking into a small cellular phone.

"Oh it's quite alright dear I understand! I'll talk to you later!" the other, identical, guard replied into her own phone, and they both snapped the cases shut at the same time. Robbie nearly took a step back, but he met with cold stone wall behind him. Nowhere to run.

Running was something he very much wanted to do, because when faced with _two_ identical guards that looked like Bessie Busybody, it was an extremely terrifying thing. For anyone, least of all Robbie Rotten.

"_Well_?" the one on the right intoned impatiently.

"We haven't got all day!" the one on the left added.

"O-o-oh, well," he started, fidgeting with the cuffs on his wrists nervously. "I need to get through and-"

"Oh, you should have just said so dear! You simply have to pick!"

"Pick?" he asked cautiously. Both nodded enthusiastically.

"But," the left one added. "I should warn you- one of us tells the truth and on of us always lies."

"And… why should I care?" Robbie asked flatly. Both guards looked indignant. Robbie stormed forward, ready to choose.

"Now wait just a moment!" the right one said. "It's _very_ important, because of-!"

"Not interested!" he shouted, and picked. He swung open the door and marched through, more than slightly miffed at having to deal with not one, but _two_ Bessies in this crazy acid-trip of a place. He grumbled his way all the way down the corridor.

The two guards looked at each other and flipped open their phones.

"Well now. He certainly was rude."

"Yes, quite! But I'm sure the king will handle it."

"Ohhhh, yes! I'm sure! Speaking of that, do you _ever_ tire of the sight of his majesty's firm arms?"

"Ooooh, you naughty thing!"

There was a good amount of twittering and giggling before a sort of silence settled over them.

"Though…" the left one started. "It's been quite a long time since someone picked the right one."

"Oh, yes. And at random too! Didn't even stop for us to tell him that the other door led to certain doom."

"Quite rude, that man."

"Quite."

* * *

"Let me go!"

Sportacus rubbed his temples with one hand, eyes closed. He didn't have a headache… _yet_. But if the pink child kept screaming, he just might. He stood smoothly, abruptly, and noticed with grim satisfaction that she immediately shut up and shrank away from him.

Good. Children at least still had enough sense nowadays to know he was bad news for them.

He smirked winningly at her and crouched down to her level. She was restrained (the only way to keep her out of trouble, it seemed) and seated on the stone floor. She stared into his unnaturally blue eyes with a spark of fear in her own. He smiled a little more gently.

"I'm a horrible host, aren't I?" he crooned, and he knew she would relax even before her muscles went lax. He brought one hand up, showing it to her, and a pretty glass sphere materialized.

"Do you want it?" he asked. She eyed it skeptically, and he had to sidestep the small bit of admiration he felt for her. The girl was clever enough to be suspicious of him, even when his magic was working on her.

Winning her over.

"What is it?" she asked. He banished it with a twirl of his hand, and stood instead. He grinned down at her even as she looked up at him questioningly. Innocently.

"Dance with me, Stephanie."

The music started.

* * *

Robbie looked up when he heard the faint strains of music in the air. Far away. Well, whatever. It's not like Sportaloser was going to pop up and start dancing.

Robbie stopped walking.

But what if he _did_ pop up? After all, Stingy and Bessie both showed up… who knew what would be next? It might be best to get to the music and stop it before the blue elf would hear and drop down from the sky like a happy hyper dancing _device of utter destruction by means of irritation_ and never leave. The very thought made Robbie shudder, and made him determined to get to the source of that music. Get to the music and stop it by any means.

He sighed dramatically and shuffled forward, vaguely in the direction of the music.

* * *

Sportacus released the bindings around the young girl's body and she made to stand. He held out a hand and helped her up to her feet with a small flourished bow.

She blushed girlishly, and he hid a grin.

"Ready?" he asked, needlessly. The music was playing on and he kept a hold on her hand, directing her movements.

_"I saw my baby, crying hard as babe could cry… what could I do?_" he crooned in time with the music, and twirled her. "_My baby's love had gone, and left my baby blue! Nobody knew!_" He let go of her hand in the middle of her spin, and she fell to the ground like a leaf falling from a tree. She sat on the floor, staring up at him with wide eyes, dumbly.

"_What kind of magic spell to use?_" He danced on his own, feet automatically finding the correct paths across stone, staying out of her reach. He was certainly enjoying himself. No need to end it, just yet.

"_Slime and snails? Or puppy dog tails?_" He held up a hand to his face, as if seriously contemplating which magic spell to use indeed. "_Thunder or lightning?…_" He grinned sharply, and was abruptly at the girl's side again, and taking her hand. He hardly needed to help her up- she was getting to her feet on her own, with a glazed look. "_Then baby said…_"

They spun, and the girl laughed for the first time. He drank it in, and repressed another grin for favor of a smirk instead. "_Dance, magic dance!_"

They jumped and spun and it _was_ a dance- a wild and unruly one, with sometimes his small partner being left behind to fend on her own, until he would glide over again and guide her.

"_Jump, magic jump…_"

She was bounced back and forth between tears and laughter, until she didn't know who she was anymore.

"_I saw my baby, trying hard as babe could try! What could I do? My baby's fun had gone, and left my baby blue! Nobody knew!_"

When he left her on her own, she stumbled over her own feet, not knowing how in the world she could match his unearthly stride and grace. She started crying, silent tears gathering in her eyes and slipping down her cheeks, until he bounded back to her, and gracefully, while still dancing, wiped them away gently. The music lessened, slowed.

"_What kind of magic spell to use?_" he whispered. "_Slime and snails? Or puppy dogs' tails? Thunder or lightning…_"

Stephanie smiled up at him.

"_Then baby said,_" he prompted, staring straight into her eyes.

"_Dance, magic dance._" she answered with a grin.

* * *

AN:

Yes, it's a crossover between Labyrinth and LazyTown! I couldn't help it. EvilSportacus got into my veins, and mutated into JarethSportacus. It was a very complicated process. Regardless, here we are.

It's not going to be a retelling of Labyrinth with LazyTown characters... hopefully you can see that already. It's something different. Robbie is the main character, and for _once_, it's not strictly SportaRobbie. Of course, because of the roles they're in, there are hints of it, but Robbie isn't in love. We'll get that cleared up right now.

Stephanie is a child. And the idea of child-stealing supernatural beings is too much for my tiny brain to handle. There's a sort of seduction going on, but it's not a sexual kind. Does that make sense? He's bringing her over to his own side, which happens to be a little dark in this fic, and so in a way it is seduction...

He's using magic. Natural charm that makes children like him. It's important.

This isn't my best work (I think Forcing It was my best, but that's just me), but I have enjoyed writing it. So please leave a review, and I'll get chapters out quicker! There's not a lot of chapters though...


	2. As The World Falls Down

**Chapter 2: As The World Falls Down**

This entire place was stupid.

Robbie Rotten decided that very clearly as he came upon the latest dead end. Stupid maze. He glanced at the walls, then dismissed the idea. Too high to climb. No thanks. He sighed and turned around, ready to take a new turn.

There was no turn. He was in a forest.

"_OH FOR THE LOVE OF CAKE!_"

He stomped his foot furiously, then started stalking angrily forward. Whatever. He didn't care any more. So long as he was _out_ of that damned maze. He couldn't give a damn.

When the music started, he nearly had a fit.

A brightly colored furred (feathered?) _thing_ popped out of the undergrowth, startling him.

"What do you _want_?" he yelled, frustrated and frightened. The creature laughed, and it startled him further. The voice was familiar.

"Just wanna have a good time!" Trixie replied, laughing. She struck a match and set fire to a pile of firewood, cavorting around and having a grand time. A bird alighted on a branch nearby, and in the same breath she brandished her slingshot and shot it down, dead. Robbie backpedaled.

"What did you do that for?!" he yelped. She grinned impishly at him.

"So what?" she said. "It's not like I hurt it or anything, right? I'm playing!"

"You killed it!"

"Killed?" she tilted her head, then laughed again. "I don't know what that is. But everything's a game, right? Oh!" She leapt closer to him, looking up at him with glittering eyes of mischief. "Do you wanna play? All my friends, they left. They said I was too mean, but I'm not! I'm really not! I just don't want to be alone. They'd make fun of me if they knew. Mister, you'll stay and play, won't you?"

"I don't have the time!" he snapped, backing away. Trixie's decorated face turned pouty.

"No time?" she parroted. "No time for playing? What kind of excuse is that?"

Robbie turned and ran as fast as he could, and hoped his longer legs would keep the demented thing off of him. He was panting and clutching his side as he ducked into an entrance to a tunnel in a large stone wall that cut off the forest.

He leaned against the cold stone once inside and caught his breath, one hand on his side to try and press out the stitch that had developed.

"What do we have here?" a smooth accented voice crooned from his side. He yelped and jumped backwards, eyes wide.

"What the… Sportacus?"

The man lifted an eyebrow and smirked at him. It made chills go down his spine. That was _not_ a Sportacus thing to do. Something was more wrong than before.

"How are you enjoying my labyrinth?"

"This is _your_ stupid maze?!" Robbie yelled. He tried to loom over the damn elf, but even though he was significantly taller, it seemed to have no effect on Sportacus. If anything, it was making Robbie feel _smaller_, the way the sports elf was trying to suppress a grin at his tactics.

"Whatever game you're playing, you can stop," Robbie huffed. "It's stupid."

"Is my labyrinth too easy for you?" he merely answered back, a hint of teasing in his voice. Robbie glared venomously at him. But before he could reply, Sportacus shook his head.

"My apologies," he said lightly, and Robbie could practically _feel_ the condescending tone dripping off of every word like thick syrup. "Perhaps I could offer you something of a challenge then?" He glanced up and startled Robbie with his shockingly blue eyes, but Robbie regained his composure and snorted condemningly. Sportacus grinned.

"I have a gift for you," he said. Robbie instantly perked up.

"What is it?" he asked rapidly. "It better not be any healthy junk." Sportacus quickly rewrote what he was going to summon. Apples weren't the best choice then, he supposed. Ah well. He flicked his wrist and a cupcake appeared in his hand.

"For you," he said, smiling and holding it out to Robbie. Robbie eyed him suspiciously, but the _cake_ was right there, so he snatched it. Sportacus laughed and disappeared. Normally, Robbie would have been a little unsettled by this.

But it was a dream, and there was _cake_ in front of him. Small and bite-sized, but sugar none the less. He bit into it happily. Opened his mouth for the next bite, then stopped.

Something was wrong.

The world grew fuzzier, and his limbs numb. The cupcake slid out of his hand and fell to the ground. He leaned against the stone wall once more, his back sliding down it until he was slumped on the floor. Everything seemed feverish. He was out of breath, and it felt like he had taken too much cold medicine. Everything was fuzzy, dream-like, and his muscles went lax.

All too soon, he found himself in the oddest place yet.

His surroundings blurred too much, so he didn't focus on them… rather, he focused on the people around him. They wore masks and elaborate suits- disguises, he noted, and looked down at himself. An elaborately formal suit. Dark purple. But it was almost drab- he blended right in to the crowd with hardly any effort. His mind was still hazy, so he drifted, not sure what he was doing… what had he been doing? Hadn't he been looking for something? He couldn't keep a grasp on his own thoughts. He turned, pushed by the crowd, and that's when he saw him.

Sportacus was in the crowd.

Robbie pushed towards the familiar face almost frantically. Sportacus. That mustached face was unforgettable, even if the man was eyeing him in a completely alien way, as if sizing him up, teasing, taunting. It didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was getting to him.

Robbie didn't notice the faint strains of music echoing through the room. Music had become part of his life, and this place seemed twice as full of it as Lazy Town. He squeezed between people who didn't notice him, like he was invisible. Just another piece of the group. He lost sight of the blue elf multiple times, and nearly grew frantic. Everything was too scary, on his own.

So, when he turned around and Sportacus was standing right there, soft smiles and an open hand, Robbie didn't hesitate to take it.

He didn't know how the man was leading while being shorter than him… but he was. And Robbie was too entranced to question much of _anything_. Sportacus looked up at him, eyes twinkling with mirth and mischief.

"_There's such a sad love, deep in your eyes, a kind of pale dew,_" Sportacus opened his mouth and sang quietly, staring directly into Robbie's eyes. "_Opened and closed, within your eyes… I'll place the sky, within your eyes._"

Robbie felt heat rush to his face, and his heart sped. Sportacus was leading the dazed man in a slow dance, leisurely and gently, and soon enough all of the other members of the crowd paired up and copied their steps.

"_There's such a fooled heart beating so fast, in search of new dreams, a love that will last, within your heart,_" the elf continued. "_I'll place the moon, within your heart._"

This was not the same elf who sang and danced with children, who sang upbeat pop songs about being healthy. Robbie could register that, though not much else. No, this was…

"_As the pain sweeps through, make no sense for you… every thrill is gone, wasn't too much fun at all. But I'll be there for you… as the world falls down._"

No, this was Sportacus singing directly to him, and him alone. There was a message.

"_I'll paint you moments of gold, I'll spin you valentine evenings, though we're strangers till now.. We're choosing the path between the stars… I'll lay my love, between the stars._"

The message was a love song.

What surprised Robbie more than anything was the fact that he didn't mind it at all. Sportacus had his arm around his waist, and it was warm… the elf's hand was in his (or was it the other way around?) and the man was singing, crooning, about _him_. And what was more… he was making promises to be there for him. What… what was going on? Was this real?

He tore his eyes from the depthless blues in front of him and glanced around. The other pairs dancing did not notice him. They were flirting, giggling, swaying from one partner to the next, but… Sportacus gripped him tighter, and it clicked into place, even through the fog in his mind.

He was invisible.

To everyone but the elf, he didn't matter. They paid him as much attention as _air_. Panic welled deep in his chest and swelled upwards. No. No no no. This couldn't happen.

He wasn't important.

He broke away forcefully, startling a few of the other dancers. _Good_. He glanced once more at Sportacus, who was looking at him almost pleadingly.

'_Come back. I'll keep you safe. I'll make you feel loved._'

He couldn't afford to fall to Sportakook. He was looking for something, wasn't he? He picked up a chair and swung it. He couldn't afford to lose whatever game this was. No matter how tempting the distractions were.

How would he ever face Sportacus in the real world if he lost to him in a dream?

The wall shattered, and he had the most frightening sensation of falling before the world went black.

* * *

Sportacus twirled Stephanie once, and she laughed. He smiled at her and she smiled back up at him.

"I rather like you," he commented. He bent over and leaned in close. "You don't have my eyes, but your hair _is_ somewhat endearing." She fingered a lock self-consciously, and he flicked the corresponding lock on the opposite side of her face with a smirk.

He flicked a wrist and a bright red apple appeared in his hand. He presented it to her, holding it in front of her face.

"Do you want it?"

"Yes," she answered automatically, reaching for it. He pulled it away. She blinked, then laughed delightedly and stretched on her toes, reaching for it.

"Papa!" she chastised, giggling. He grinned widely, showing all teeth, and dropped it into her waiting hands. She bit into it eagerly.

He laughed loudly, and she wiped away some juice that leaked from the corners of her mouth.

* * *

AN:

There's only 2 or more chapters after this, and then an epilogue. For some reason, I keep ending the chapters with Sportacus and Stephanie. I didn't do that on purpose... that's just how I wrote it and where the breaks are...

The entire dream scene needs explanation... because as hilarious as Robbie in that poofy white dress would have been, it didn't fit. Sarah's dream in the movie was a reflection of her wishes- in other words, a fantasy world that reflects adulthood. She's the only one in the room with that sugary white innocent dress. Everyone else is wearing masks, and admittedly ugly ones at that. Robbie's dream-wish, however, is different because he's a different person. He does act like a little kid trying to be an adult, but that's not his wish. That's not what he's trying for. He's trying for invisibility. Blending in so completely (disguises) that no one notices him. He wants it for various reasons- you can pick what you like as motive. But that's his wish.

Of course, he realizes at the last moment that it's not what he really wants at all, and he breaks it. What he wants more than anything is attention, he just kept denying it... until then of course.

That scene was about as SportaRobbie as it gets in this fic. (I'm sorry!)

Next chapter is one of my favorite scenes. Pixel. Robbie comes away from the experience rather... well anyway, you'll find out. Robbie's experience in the Underground is very different from Sarah's, because... well, he needs different things, doesn't he?

Reviews make me update faster. And with college kicking my ass fifteen different ways, I might forget without being reminded.


	3. Chilly Down

**Chapter 3: Chilly Down**

Robbie groaned, reaching up to rub his eyes. He blinked them open slowly and looked around.

A garbage dump.

It figured. What was next? He shakily stood, and climbed to the top of the nearest pile. Garbage, a lot of it, everywhere. There was a hazy building in the distance, but his eyes didn't want to focus on it. He tried climbing down the pile again. There was a mess of wiring and plastic at the bottom, and he crawled over it and down onto the ground. The pile moaned, and he jumped backwards and shrieked as it moved. The whole thing turned, to reveal a wasted away figure, attached to all that electrical wiring and junk. Thin arms, dead eyes…

Orange hair.

Robbie nearly choked.

"Watch where you're walking," the wasted away figure of Pixel snapped. Even angry, he sounded tired. Worn out. Dead.

"S-sorry," Robbie muttered back, too shaken to do anything else but apologize. Pixel looked at him carefully, and the half-dead gaze made Robbie shudder.

"What are you doing here anyway?" he croaked. Robbie paused.

"I'm… not sure," he answered slowly. "I was looking for something…" Flashes of the blue elf's face, then of pink, skidded across his mind, but they wouldn't stick.

"Oh," Pixel murmured, picking up a stray tin can and attaching it to some wires so that it was now part of him. Robbie stared at him. He remembered Pixel. Annoying kid. Too eager to please. But quite possibly the only kid in that pack of brats that was tolerable in any way. He was quiet, for the most part, and he liked staying indoors. What's more, he was the only one with half a brain within 100 miles. He wasted that talent more often than not, but sometimes there was a spark of brilliance…

"What happened to you?" he found himself asking. Pixel barely glanced up, shuffling along and eyes trained on the ground for any more useful scraps.

"What do you mean?"

Robbie opened his mouth to say what he meant. Where had the spark gone? Why was he reduced to a pathetic shuffling _dead_ thing, who probably couldn't think creatively to save what little pitiful life he had left? What had gotten so bad that he physically attached himself to his gadgets at the cost of his mind and soul?

He couldn't force the words out. He was struck dumb by the feeling of something being terribly, achingly wrong. And the giant building in the distance, the castle, came sharply into focus as every memory shot free of the dam holding them back and flooded into his head again. He shuddered and closed his eyes. Castle. He had to get to the castle. Everything was wrong here, and he had to make it right. Who knew, maybe there'd be a reward at the end? Maybe he'd be the hero, and get noticed finally? Who knew. He gave one last sad look at the figure that used to be Pixel.

"See ya," he said and started walking. Pixel didn't respond.

* * *

He had gotten to the gates of the rundown city before he encountered the last little member of the happy crew.

He was almost glad.

"HOLD!" a childish voice bellowed, as much as a childish voice _could_ bellow anything. Robbie stopped and looked. There, running on short legs towards him, was a blonde-haired overweight brat dressed in knightly clothing. Thankfully, the child (Ziggy, he reminded himself, Ziggy) stopped before he crashed right into Robbie's legs. He stood panting for a moment before straightening up.

"What ist thou wandering about here for?" Ziggy demanded. Robbie felt like he should bristle at being demanded anything, but surprisingly he didn't have the energy. His encounter with what was left of Pixel had been unnerving.

"I'm going to that castle," he replied, and pointed to it. Ziggy followed his gesture and his blue eyes widened.

"To the king!" he exclaimed.

"The king?"

"Oh, you must be trying to regain yon fair maiden!"

"Fair maiden?" Robbie blinked. Fair maiden? He didn't know any.

"The angel!" Ziggy clarified, his eyes taking on a fervent gleam as they did only when talking about candy. "The lovely angel who sings and dances with the King, a vision of beauty."

"Sounds interesting," Robbie commented. Ziggy nodded, oblivious.

"Rumors abound that His Highness intends to make her His heir."

"Really?"

"Oh, verily. Though, to see the kingdom done up in pinks as vibrant as yon maiden's hair…"

Robbie opened his mouth to reply again, but the words fell into the back of his mind. Pink.

"Oh god," he said instead. Ziggy didn't so much as glance at him, continuing to rattle on about the girl and her fairness, his concern that the King, no matter how good a king he was, would corrupt her. Robbie barely heard any of it.

Oh, it _figured_ it'd be Pinky who was the one he needed to save. The king was Sportacus, the fair maiden Stephanie… what was he?

"Ist thou off to save fair maiden trapped within the castle?" Ziggy interrupted his thoughts, peering up at him hopefully. The wide blue eyes threw Robbie off guard.

"U-um…" He tried to shake the memory of dancing away. "Yes." Ziggy's face lit up.

"Wonderful!" he cried happily, brandishing a large candy-stick and waving it enthusiastically. "I shall help you in your journey! Now, to open these doors…"

Ziggy thrashed at the unguarded crank to open the doors until they finally creaked open wide enough to admit the two of them. They were greeted by an empty city.

"Is it always like this?" Robbie asked. Ziggy nodded.

"His Highness is always alone. Once there were great feasts and dances and much singing- but no longer. Nevermore does a living soul reside in these walls, save for the King."

"So he shut himself off from everyone? " Robbie thought about the air ship. "That's… not surprising, actually." Ziggy acted like he didn't hear, and charged forward through the city with Robbie following behind. In no time they were at the castle.

"I must leave now," Ziggy said, looking regretful.

"Why's that?"

"Because… that's just how it's done," Ziggy replied. He paused and contemplated for a moment before he lunged forward and caught Robbie in a hug around the legs.

"But thou shalt always be my brother! Thou hast shown remarkable bravery, coming this far, and, and…" he seemed to pause for a moment, and his eyes got wider. "You can share my candy anytime you want to Robbie! I like you!" The momentary lapse into his normal self finished, Ziggy turned and trotted away, disappearing behind a lopsided house. Robbie blinked in confusion for a moment before turning back to the castle.

"A pink angel, huh?" he mused.

He pushed open the doors with much difficulty, and stepped across the threshold.

Alarms went off in the throne room. Sportacus snapped to attention from the chasing game he had been playing with his pink pet, and his eyes narrowed as he identified the source.

"Stephanie," he said, smiling handsomely at her. "Would you like to play a different game?"

* * *

AN:

I love Pixel. He is totally that character. I skipped over the mayor as Ludo solely so I could get to Pixel faster. Well... and also because I didn't feel like writing it out. But whatever.

This chapter is dedicated WorstWitch from GaiaOnline. People are brining me to get chapters out now? XD Allow me to bask. And wear my nifty new elven ears. I hope Gaia programmers make it where you can match the skin tone for those soon. But until then I enjoy them. X3

I gotta say, I'm continuously surprised by the amount of people who like my fics. (WHY AREN'T YOU ALL REVIEWING, EH?!) I mean... PBBS started out terrible! But I apparently have fans now (and I shall lavish you all with luvs, even if you don't review) and that's so weird for me!

I should be doing homework. You see what you guys make me do?

... I still haven't finished the ending chapter for this fic. Shame. I'm off to watch Play Day now.


	4. Within You

**Chapter 4: Within You**

"This is ridiculous," Robbie complained, following the sounds of girlish giggling through yet another passageway. "How am I supposed to rescue the stupid girl if she won't stay put?" He came to the end of the hallway and pushed open the doors in the wall there.

Stairs. _Everywhere_. It made him feel dizzy, even as he stepped into the room and the doors closed behind him. Stairs went every way, blended and clashed against each other in no sane way.

_"How you've turned my world, you precious thing,"_ a voice crooned. Robbie's blood froze in his veins even as his heart sped up. No, anything but this again…

_"You starve and near exhaust me…"_

He turned, trying to identify where the voice was coming from, but this room from Hell echoed- it sounded like it was from everywhere, and for all he knew, it could be.

_"Everything I've done, I've done for you…"_

He gasped and whirled around, feeling the breath on his neck. Sportacus (or this twisted, dark version of him) was just behind him, and the smirk on the elf's face faded when their eyes met. Sportacus turned away and stalked to the edge of a platform between sets of stairs. He gazed out into the open air.

_"I move the stars for no one."_

He stepped off the edge and Robbie flinched backwards, not expecting it. He looked around frantically. He had to find Stephanie, right? That was the game. If he won it, everything would go back to normal, wouldn't it?

'Please,' he thought. 'Don't let there be any masked dancers.'

_"You've run so long, you've run so far!"_

The voice echoed from everywhere again. Robbie paced back and forth across the platform, unsure. Which way to go? Which stairs to take? Where _was_ that damn girl anyway?

_"Your eyes can be so cruel!"_

He ran straight into Sportacus again, who appeared out of nowhere in front of him. Robbie backpedaled away from him.

_"Just as I can be so cruel…"_

Cruel? What sort of messed up world was this, where Sportacus was cruel? The elf held out a hand and a bright red apple appeared there, balanced in his fingertips. He looked pointedly at Robbie, then turn and threw it. Robbie had to watch, as the apple arched through the air and landed in the delighted hands of Stephanie, who grinned happily, adoringly.

"Hey!" Robbie shouted, picking a staircase that seemed to lead to her general direction. "Hey, Pinky!"

She giggled and flashed him a smile, and wandered leisurely up another flight of stairs, tossing the apple up and down in her hands.

_"Oh, I do believe in you,"_ Sportacus continued, watching. _"Yes, I do… live without the sunlight… love without your heartbeat…"_ He looked across a stone archway, sideways, as Robbie panted for air as he raced after Stephanie, who laughed merrily and enjoyed her game. Sportacus almost felt something stretch in his heart, watching Robbie get more and more frantic, calling the girl by her given name and crawling up the staircases as fast as he could, trying to get to her. The man was tired, he could see that. Limbs shook violently, blood was thin and leaving his face. Robbie called out for Stephanie again and she glanced back over her shoulder at him and grinned impishly. Sportacus continued watching Robbie, something regretful coming over his face.

_"I… I… can't live… within you."_

Robbie fell from a platform and into open space.

Everything fell apart.

When he landed, it was lightly on his feet, though he was trembling. Stephanie was nowhere to be found.

'I need to get out of here.'

From the shadows, Sportacus stepped into view again, and Robbie felt a chill go down his back. He looked serious, and that was never a good thing.

"G-give me the kid," Robbie stuttered. Sportacus looked briefly as if he wanted to smirk, but stayed serious, and prowled forward.

That was the only word Robbie could think to describe the movement. Prowling.

"I have been generous, up until now," Sportacus commented. "But I _can_ be cruel." Robbie bristled, half in fear.

"_Generous_?" he hissed, glaring down the sports elf. "What have you done that's generous? You fed me poisoned cupcakes!"

"_Everything!_" Sportacus shouted. Robbie flinched, though he kept his eyes on the elf as he was circled slowly. "Everything that you wanted, I have done." Robbie opened his mouth to protest, but Sportacus kept going.

"Didn't you want this?" the elf grinned, and Robbie felt like curling in on himself. It was not a nice grin. "Did you not wish for this? 'Oh, I wish that stupid Stephanie girl would go away! Then the town would be lazy again!' Isn't that what you wished?"

"But that's-"

"Don't you dare say it was otherwise!" he yelled again. Robbie was silenced. "You wanted her gone, and I've granted your wish. What's said is said, and you can't take it back!"

"I didn't mean it," Robbie whispered. "Not if that's what the price was." He thought back to Pixel's ruined form in the trash heap, and Trixie's blatant disregard for life, from sheer ignorance of consequence. No, that hadn't been what he wanted.

"You asked that the child disappear, and I made it so," Sportacus continued, circling him like a shark, or a hawk. "You cower before me- I _am_ frightening. I reordered time… I turned the world upside down, and I did it all for you!"

Robbie's head was spinning. He had never asked for this. He had forgotten what was supposed to be reality and what wasn't. His legs felt weak.

"I am exhausted from living up to your expectations of me…" Sportacus finished softly, and stilled, looking sadly at Robbie. "Isn't that generous?"

Robbie was silent for a moment.

"Am I supposed to be grateful?" he ground out finally, advancing on Sportacus. It made a thrill go through him, to see the sports elf retreat before him. "Am I supposed to rejoice now, now that everything in this messed up little world is _still_ what you want, that you're still in it? Is that supposed to make me happy? Are _you_ supposed to make me happy, spouting love songs and making wishes come true? Is that what's supposed to happen? Well I'm _not_ grateful! I never wanted it! Put her _back_ Sportacus, put everything back the way it's supposed to be! Wishes are how this place runs, is that it? I wished her away, and that's why you did it?"

Sportacus stopped abruptly and his eyes went wide.

"Stop!" he cried. Robbie paused. "Robbie, look at what I'm offering you…" he motioned vaguely. "You wanted a world in perpetual laziness, a world where you could sleep forever and dream of whatever you wished. You can't tell me you don't want it. You can't tell me that when we danced, you felt an ounce shame or regret or indecision, because I know better than that Robbie. I know what you want. It's what I'm offering you… your dreams."

Robbie didn't speak.

"I ask for so little," Sportacus continued. "Just let me rule you. And you can have everything that you want." Robbie retreated a step, and a light lit in the blue eyes of the king. "Just fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your _slave_."

Robbie was struck with the odd image of Sportacus in shackles, spoon-feeding him cake.

He got the distinct idea that they did not share the same idea of 'slave'. Robbie's eyes softened slightly, and he looked at the blue elf, who had his hand stretched out beseechingly.

Robbie smiled regretfully at him and shook his head.

"I wish everything was back to the way it's supposed to be, Sportakook."

The elf looked sadly at him, as if the world were falling apart and they on opposite ends of it… abruptly, that was true. Pieces crumbled, Robbie's vision tunneled, and everything became indistinct.

* * *

AN:

It is very different from the movie's climax. Because Robbie isn't Sarah, see? He wouldn't know the words. I used the next best thing: wishes. It's different... but I like it. Their confrontation is about what Robbie really wants and what he _says_ he wants. It's my theme. I think it was part of the theme in the original movie too.

In reality, if it was being in character, Robbie would have snapped up the chance of Sportacus being his slave. But that couldn't happen here, or the entire story falls apart.

I'm sorry it took so long to get out! School is kicking my ass. There's a short epilogue after this. I'll get it out sometime tomorrow, hopefully. Though tomorrow is hellishly busy. Geh.

Ah, also, there's an AWESOME story by my good friend Kamikalo, called "Creme de la Crem". You have to look for it under the M rating. To give a quick summary without giving things away... there's a dark elf that comes to town and decides that Robbie is being mistreated (in his words "my poor little kitten") and seduces the HELL out of him. Meanwhile Sportacus is having a fit because HE wants Robbie. So yes. Elf rivalry over a human. You know you want to read it.

Hope you guys liked the chapter, and sorry it took awhile to get out. Review please!


	5. Epilogue: Underground

**Epilogue: Underground**

He woke upside-down in his chair, the television buzzing quietly. It was the middle of the day, and he could hear the pounding of small feet on the ground above him. He glanced around fearfully before righting himself (the blood was rushing to his head in his previous position) and he shakily made his way over to the pipe entrance.

* * *

Stephanie threw the ball to Ziggy, but missed at the last moment. Was that Robbie Rotten she saw sulking around? She narrowed her eyes, puzzled. He didn't have that sneering calculating look on his face. He looked… apprehensive. She paused and quickly scampered over to where he was, coming up to his side while his head was turned.

"Robbie?" she questioned. Robbie yelped and cringed backwards, whipping his head back around to look at her. Once it registered who she was, he relaxed and… was that relief? Stephanie's young face wrinkled in confusion for a moment.

"Robbie, are you okay?" she asked finally. Robbie glanced around in that darting, nervous way that was his trademark.

"Y-yes, perfectly fine," he finally muttered. His eyes continued to scan the horizon, as if looking for someone.

"Are you looking for something Robbie?" The other kids were starting to get curious and wander over.

"Ah…" Robbie started. "Have you brats seen Sportadork around?" Stephanie made a face at being called a brat, but decided to ignore it for now in favor of figuring out what in the world was wrong with Robbie.

"He's in his air ship I think," she answered, glancing at the other kids for confirmation. Robbie visibly relaxed.

"O-oh," he replied. "Good." Stephanie narrowed her eyes.

"If you're going to try and make trouble to get him kicked out, we'll stop you!" she declared. The other kids nodded their assent. Robbie blinked and only now seemed to notice them. When his eyes met Stephanie's, she couldn't help but sense that there was something strange going on. Robbie never looked this… lonely or vulnerable. She paused, and bit her lip.

"Robbie…" she started hesitantly. "Do you maybe… want to play with us? Pixel got a new video game…" she glanced at Pixel, and though he looked mildly disturbed, he nodded for her sake. Robbie looked vaguely startled, his grey eyes a little wider than normal.

"… Will there be popcorn?"

Ziggy affirmed that yes, there would be popcorn. And candy. And more popcorn. Robbie seemed to regain some of his former bravado and straightened up, adjusting his vest.

"I suppose I have enough free time at the moment to indulge your silly little whims," he conceded. Stephanie grinned brightly up at him and it threw him off, so that when she grabbed his hand and Ziggy grabbed the other and they pulled him along to Pixel's house, he didn't get the opportunity to protest.

* * *

High up in the air, a sports elf grinned to himself and snapped the looking glass shut, twirling it in one hand like a baton before flipping it into its holder again. He walked back into the interior of the air ship, humming a little tune, bits of the song escaping his lips occasionally.

_"Dance, magic dance…"_

* * *

AN:

End! It's rather short, but too bad.

I ended it rather oddly. I don't know what exactly I was doing. Am I implying Sportacus knows what happened? That they shared the same dream? I don't know. I don't know wtf it is. So like every author worth their salt, I'm going to say "It's up to the reader! 8D" and act like I did it on purpose for some very important reason.

I like Stephanie and Robbie bonding (most of you have already caught on to this, but I feel like babbling). Because they're like siblings. Siblings that annoy the hell out of eachother.

I'm so writing that side story to PBBS... or maybe HBT... everyone pile into the air ship, there's gonna be a ROADTRIP! Eeee. "Sportacus, Robbie won't stop eating my snacks!" "Tattler." "Stop it!" "Sportacus, she's TOUCHING me!" "He touched me first!"

... for another day.

Thank you guys for the awesome reviews! I hope you enjoyed.


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